Effect of the Aerobic and Resistance Training on Follistatin-Like 1 and Leukemia Inhibitory Factor Muscle Gene Expression in Rats Fed With a High-Fat Diet

Follistatin-like 1 (FSTL-1) and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) are two myokines that are affected by overweight and have inflammatory and damaging effects. Considering that exercise reduces excess weight, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of aerobic and resistance training on FSTL-1 and LIF muscle gene expression in rats fed with a high-fat diet.

In this experimental study, 32 rats were randomly divided into healthy control, obese control, obese + aerobic exercise, and obese + resistance exercise groups. The training was performed for 4 weeks at aerobic moderate intensity (50-65% VO2max). For resistance training, rats were also trained to climb the ladder (height 110 cm, slope 80%, and the distance between the bars of the ladder 2 cm), which is based on the determination of one repetition maximum. A high-fat diet was prepared with 40% fat, 13% protein, and 47% carbohydrates and continued until the rats reached the obesity range. The tissue sample was taken from the gluteus muscle.

The expression of FSTL-1 and LIF in the obese control group increased significantly compared to the healthy control group (P = 0.044 and P = 0.039, respectively). The expression of FSTL-1 and LIF in the resistance training group significantly decreased in comparison to the obese control group (P = 0.049 and P = 0.046, respectively). There was no significant difference between the aerobic exercise group and the obese control group (P = 0.053 and P = 0.059, respectively). However, a significant difference was observed between aerobic and resistance training groups in terms of FSTL-1 (P = 0.042).

Resistance exercise seems to have a greater and better effect on FSTL-1 and LIF in the muscles of obese samples compared to aerobic exercise.